Remove from heat. Stir in chopped hazelnuts and crystallized ginger. Cool to room
temperature. Remove cinnamon sticks and
cloves before serving at room temperature
or cold.

Cover tightly and store in
refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Makes 12 to 14 servings.

Courtesy of Holly Brown

for your

table

The Costco Connection

Look for fresh and dried cranberries (Craisins)
at your local Costco. Fresh cranberries are
sold in 8-cup bags.

SHUTTERSTOCK / SARSMIS

sauce, blended into smoothies or dried and
sweetened. A creative cook can incorporate
cranberries for just the right zing in baked
goods, or pack the perfect punch into jams
and chutneys. Pair these tart beauties with
blueberries, apples, citrus, spice or ginger.

Since cranberries float in water, they can
also add flair and color to dinner party décor.
Cranberries will float to the top of a vase or
shallow bowl, and will last several days to a
week in water. Place tea lights on top of a glass
bowl filled with cool water and raw cranberries for a lovely centerpiece.

Cranberry Spice Chutney (see recipe) is
a seasonal treat that’s as versatile as it is
beautiful. The one-pot recipe is a taste-bud-popping combination of sweet, spicy and tart.
Serve it as a side dish for turkey or salmon,
use it instead of relish or eat it straight from a
spoon. It works well as an appetizer along
with a buttery Brie and French bread. It also
makes a great hostess gift and is the perfect
side dish to bring for a holiday potluck.

Holly Brown is a Seattle-based lifestyle
publisher, blogger and Web TV host of The
BrownLounge.com, which features menus
for entertaining, recipes, food trends and more.

By Holly Brown

ONE OF THE FIRST signs of fall is the sight
of fresh cranberries. Cranberries, like wine
grapes, are harvested September through
November, when the fruit takes on its distinctive deep red color. Native Americans first
discovered the versatile red berry. They used
it as food, fabric dye and a healing agent.

Red produce such as cranberries stimulates the eyes and the appetite. They’re also
good for health. Fresh cranberries are considered a “super fruit” due to their nutrient content and antioxidant power. Raw, dried and
sweetened cranberries are full of fiber. They’re
also high in vitamin C and manganese.
Cranberry tannins, like those found in red
wine, are thought to prevent bacterial attachment to the lining of the urinary tract, which
helps to protect against stomach ulcers and
bladder infections.

Ripe cranberries are firm yet buoyant.
The harvesting process includes flooding
the cranberry beds, or bogs, with water,
mechanically removing the fruit from the
bushes and pumping the floating berries out
to conveyors for cleaning and stem removal.
Fresh cranberries are ready to use right out of
the bag. Look for brightly colored, firm
cranberries in the produce section.

Store cranberries in their original packaging for up to two weeks in the refrigerator
or up to one year in the freezer. Rinse and
discard any discolored or soft berries. Frozen
fruit can be used directly from the freezer;
there’s no need to thaw before use. Try the
mouth-puckering punch of cranberries
in fruit pies, muffins, scones, cookies and
even cocktails.

Cranberries are hard and bitter if eaten
raw, but are great when turned into juice and